


Doubtless

by Missy



Category: My Name is Bruce (2007)
Genre: Alternate Ending, F/M, Family, Humor, Metahumor, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-26
Updated: 2010-08-26
Packaged: 2017-10-11 06:22:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/109409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/pseuds/Missy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce's life is back on track, but he's not sure of what the next step should be.  It takes Jeff to give him that final nudge and help him make up his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doubtless

It took three days, but, at last, he'd finally finished unpacking from the Florida shoot. Dumping himself onto Kelly's couch with all of the finesse of a sleepy mastiff, Bruce reached for the remote control to her little TV set, flipped it to 'E', and took a slurp of Schlitz.

Oh yeah, this was the life. He finally had steady non-alien-blood-drenched work, a steady girlfriend who seemed to like him. And all he had to do was spend time with Jeff every once in awhile and vacuum the living room.

Definitely the sweet life, he preened to himself.

He couldn't help but wonder how long it would last…

 

**

Bruce's father had a saying. "Boy," he used to tell him, while they were off on a fishing expedition or hiking in the woods around their house, "always know when to shit or get off the pot."

Bruce winced thinking about him now, kicking through the dead leaves around Kelly's house on the way back from the Pick N Save, waiting for Jeff to get home from school. Kelly had asked him to rake the yard, but he'd solve that by running the mower through the yard. Jeff finally got home just after six, with a pile of DVDs under his arm.

"Hey, you're late," Bruce pointed out as he flopped down upon the porch.

Jeff grinned, holding out a too-familiar black jewel case. "Blade of the Skull-Ripper: Special Ten Anniversary-This-Time-We-Mean-It's-The-Ultimate-Collector's Edition," He sighed reverently.

The kid's fannishness still gave Bruce pause. "You…know I can get you a copy of that for free, right?"

Jeff shrugged. "Getting it's only half the thrill, Bruce. The other half's casing the video store, waiting for that first copy to come in, and sniping it before the other guy can grab it." He grinned. "Me and this DVD are gonna spend one hot night together."

Bruce grunted in response. "You're not bantering," Jeff frowned. "Are you sick?"

He shook his head. "Just thinking."

"Oooh," Jeff remarked, as if the very notion were a horrible offense to his psyche. "Are you moving out?"

The innocent worry in the kid's tone made Bruce look up. "After all the time it took to move my stuff here? You're gonna have to pry me out with a crowbar." He realized, belatedly, that this was about Jeff's father's leaving, not Bruce's living situation. "I'm just trying to decide something."

"Whenever I have to decide between two things, I follow what you said in 'Blood: None Bloodier' 'Whenever I Have To Choose Between Two Evils, I Always Like to Try The One I Haven't Tried Before.'"

Bruce grunted. "That's an old Mae West line we punched up."

"Who's Mae West?"

"Christ," Bruce groaned, rubbing his eyes. He realized, abruptly, that even though the kid was irritating him the conversation provided more entertainment than any conversation he'd had with Jeffrey Donovan about macrobiotics.

"Wow…this is serious, isn't it?"

He gave him a small smile. "Yeah, in a good way." He stood up and sighed. "I'll tell you about it soon. How do you feel about Italian? I'll make reservations at that place in Sherman your mom likes, my treat."

Jeff nodded. "I've got homework to finish, meet you in twenty." He sighed. "I really wish I could've helped you decide."

Bruce gave him a smile. "You did, Jeff."

***

 

He'd had a girl on the set pick out the ring and the setting, but the inscription was pure them. "That's not my hand" might be a bizarre inscription for a ring, but it had a great deal of sentimental value.

He was amazed by how his usual lack of assurance had disappeared as he rubbed the velvet box in his pocket. The violinist was playing 'Heaven', and Kelly was in her blue dress; a waiter stood at the right, tux'd, a bottle of champagne in his hand. His palms were warm and dry when they took ahold of hers, and Bruce couldn't quite believe the strange calm that had settled over him. He should have been vacillating between fear and self-reproach, but calm descended over his nerves; he knew she would say yes, and he knew this would be his last trip up the aisle; the 'forever' marriage he had always jokingly hoped his friends had.

 

He had never been more sure of anything in his life.


End file.
